The second-largest city in South Dakota, Rapid City lies in the southwest corner of the state, a region home to several of the most popular and beloved of America’s outdoor wonders. It is known as the "Star of the West" and the "Gateway to the Black Hills," monikers earned during the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s.
Today, Rapid City receives an annual rush of tourists intent on exploring the area’s historical sites, national parks and monuments, while meeting planners enjoy a wide array of reasonably priced lodgings and meeting space.
"Rapid City is at the center of some of the most inspiring historical and national attractions in the country," says Michelle Lintz, executive director and senior vice president of the Rapid City CVB. "Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial and five national parks are all within a half-day’s drive. Besides breathtaking scenery, Rapid City offers planners value, convenience and choice."
For a city of 60,000, Rapid City has a surprisingly abundant meeting facility inventory. There are 5,100 hotel rooms, including two new properties: a Comfort Suites and a Sleep Inn. Six meeting hotels are newly renovated this year, and the convention center complex boasts a new 28,100-square-foot ice arena for its new ice hockey team, the Rapid City Rush.
"Rapid City is not only growing in terms of convention and meeting properties, but development in retail, business and downtown revitalization is taking place," Lintz says. "There is a synergy in our community to improve and enhance our city like never before. The future is bright."
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, the region’s largest convention venue, offers 150,000 square feet of exhibition space, including a 10,000-square-foot arena and a 1,752-seat theater.
Central States Fairground can accommodate groups larger than 5,000 in its 118,000-square-foot event center.
Best Western Ramkota Hotel offers more than 36,000 square feet of meeting space. Grand Gateway Hotel welcomes meetings as large as 250. Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza offers more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space. Radisson Hotel-Rapid City can host gatherings as large as 200. Hotel Alex Johnson also offers meeting and banquet space.
Rapid City is home to many large-scale annual events, including Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo, Lakota Nations Invitational and the Black Hills Homebuilders Expo. However, no show is more famous than the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a yearly mecca for Harley Davidson and other bike enthusiasts. Centered in nearby Sturgis, 20 miles away, the show brings thousands of attendees to Rapid City for lodging and exhibits.
The city contains two historic districts, a lively arts scene and plenty of opportunities for entertainment. Several attractions provide interesting off-site venues for events.
The newly expanded Dahl Arts Center has been the heart of the arts community in Western South Dakota for years. Located downtown, the center can accommodate meetings for groups as large as 150.
The 250-acre Bear Country USA is home to 20 species of large North American mammals, including bears, mountain lions, timber wolves, porcupines and lynx. Each spring, the new young of each species are on exhibit in the property’s Babyland area. The attraction, located eight miles from Rapid City, can welcome groups as small as 50 or as large as 2,000 for private events.
One great way to see Rapid City is via City View Trolley, launched two years ago. For just $2, the service provides narrated tours of the city’s most fascinating attractions, including Historic West Boulevard; Stavkirke Chapel; City of Presidents, a series of life-size bronze sculptures; and Prairie Edge Trading Co. and Galleries, which offers the finest selection of Native American art, crafts, jewelry, books and music in the region.
The area’s biggest draws are a short drive from Rapid City. Easily incorporated as day trips or even alternative venues, each is well worth the journey. These parks, monuments and historical districts are certain to give attendees lasting memories of the event.
"World-class museums and experiential attractions throughout the Black Hills give visitors an in-depth, hands-on look at the rich history and culture of the region," Lintz says. "Numerous experiential and educational tour opportunities are available for convention and meeting delegates, such as seeing Black Hills gold jewelry being made; archeology, geology and paleontology tours; Native American culture tours; and Air Force base tours."
Mount Rushmore National Monument, located near Keystone, is awe-inspiring in its grandeur. Gazing down from the mountain are 60-foot busts of four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln. The sculpture took 400 workers 14 years to carve, and today is a powerful symbol of American history.
Eight miles away, the Crazy Horse Memorial is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain. The statue commemorates the life of the Lakota war leader and will be the world’s largest sculpture upon completion, which is still years away. The site is also home to the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center.
Badlands National Park, located to the south and east of Rapid City, presents a startling variety of terrain, from pinnacles and buttes carved by erosion to wide prairie and rich fossil beds. The park is also home to the endangered black-footed ferret.
To the west of Rapid City, the 1.25 million acres of Black Hills National Forest stretch to and across the state’s border with Wyoming. The massive forest, mainly ponderosa pine and hardwood, is home to several species of deer as well as bighorn sheep, mountain goats and mountain lions that prey on them all.
Wind Cave National Park, one of the world’s longest and most complex caves, is also one of very few caves displaying an unusual, honeycomb-like formation called boxwork. More than 130 miles of the maze-like cave have been explored, with far more yet to be discovered. Wind Cave National Park is located 10 miles north of Hot Springs.
The nearby National Historical Landmark district of Deadwood—the town that inspired the hit HBO series of the same name—makes a great day trip and can also stand on its own as a meeting destination. There are 1,500 hotel rooms, 80 casinos, 40 restaurants and a wide selection of meeting space at many hotels and casinos.
Newest among the town’s meeting hotels is the new Lodge at Deadwood, set to open in late 2009 with 140 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a casino and waterpark. For an alternate historical meeting space, the Martin Mason Hotel has recently completed a painstaking restoration of its 6,000-square-foot Olympic Ballroom that was built in 1897.
—Kelly Crumrin is a San Francisco-based freelance writer. When she’s not on the road or writing, she enjoys playing the drums.
